How to See Life in 321 - a Guide to John's GospelSample

What is our hope in the face of death?

Usually, we handle the issue of death by ignoring it as best we can. We never like to think or speak of it, but Jesus has good news for us. He pioneers a path through death and he promises to bring us through.

Jesus is like a needle that passes through the black shroud of death. Wonderfully, he is the One who can get through to the other side. But he also promises to get us through. If he is the needle, his people are the thread. Connected to him by faith, he can pull us through the darkest reality of all—the grave—and out the other side.

Remember that, within hours of saying these words, Jesus will die himself. Nevertheless, his thoughts are consumed with comforting us:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

So, what is our hope in the face of death? Is it clouds and harps and streets paved with gold? In these verses, Jesus makes things much more personal. It’s actually about being with him where he is. The essence of Christianity is ONE-ness with Jesus. It’s not a matter of Jesus granting us things — heavenly blessings in the abstract. It’s a matter of enjoying him. He gets through death in order to bring us to himself. And even now, the heartbeat of the Christian life is ONE-ness.

As you read John chapter 14, notice how intensely personal the Christian life is. It’s not about good behaviour on earth so we can enjoy an abstract heaven afterward. It’s about knowing Jesus, now and forever, and being with him. It’s about being loved by his Father. It’s about experiencing the comfort of His Spirit. Notice the relationships of the THREE in this chapter (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit). Notice how they relate to one another. And notice how they relate to us. Now and forever, the Christian life is personal.